[title]
Assaf Tamir had a simple idea: open a bar for the sake of music. It was a bit of a shift for him, business-wise, as he and his sister Naama dabble more in the restaurant sphere, running the long-standing Lighthouse in Williamsburg, as well as MESSY, a Mediterranean-meets-Japanese skewer concept in SoHo. But as the two hosted shows inside their Williamsburg restaurant over the years, they figured it was time to a create a space that musicians deserved.
Soon the two began rolling with the idea, scouting locations, curating a food menu and studying noise-cancelling this and that to achieve near-perfect sound. But then question arose: what about the drinks? This was an easy solve as Naama suggested Steve Schneider, their long-time friend who also happens to be an award-winning bartender of Employees Only fame and the West Village’s Sip & Guzzle, which recently received the title of best new cocktail bar in the U.S. Together, these three little birds dreamt up Birds (64 Downing St, New York, NY 10014), a listening lounge that honors the classics in every sense of the word. And as of last week, their West Village bar has finally taken flight.
RECOMMENDED: These are the best vinyl bars in NYC
Shrouded in blue, sound-dampening velour curtains, the interior of Birds already touts a sort of lived-in quality, with white banquettes that line the wall and deep blue walls pinned with retro art pieces. Yet, there are hints that you’ve arrived at something a step above your cool friend's living room. The raised stage houses a Fender Rhodes keyboard and a full drum set. Behind the bar (with its absolutely beautiful pendant lights from Tom Dixon), you can find a turntable and a high-fidelity stereo system. But as serious as they are about the sound, Birds is anything but stuffy.
“When I go to a listening room, I'm expected to sit quietly and just experience their sound without talking to people,” said Assaf. But for their rendition of a lounge, Assaf and team want to create a casual scene where people can let loose and dance to the music before them. “We are not marrying ourselves to austere, serious jazz, but something more uplifting, so that it's fun to be in the room and actually enjoy the evening with your friends.”
Such respect to the music is also given to the bar. Here, Schneider opted to cut out all the "BS," opting for a menu that focuses on the essentials as they were “intended to be made.” The black and white lettering board near the bar spells 20 drinks, all of the classic variety such as Old Fashioneds, daiquiris and sazeracs, priced at $16. Soon, the bar will unveil an early bird special, aka happy hour, with $10 martinis and Manhattans before the show. Wines are also available, as are bar-oriented snacks including oysters, shrimp cocktails and fluke and steak tartare. For the trio, their mission seems to be a simple one: make Birds classic from the get-go.
“Two very important words for this project: classic and timeless,” said Naama. “We really want to do something that feels like it's been there for a long time—just a room that feels familiar, warm and fuzzy.”
Birds is open Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday from 5pm to midnight and Fridays and Saturdays from 5pm to 2am with live music running Wednesday through Sunday. When there is no band on the docket, the team will soon host record nights with vinyl and even CD sets.